Nigeria, Dec. 1 -- Seated on his bed one sunny morning in October, Dolapo Samson laid out his plans for that Saturday - help serve drinks at a friend's party, and then return home to finish his sewing, a vocation he embraced to keep himself busy after school hours. However, by evening of the same day, Mr Samson was sitting in a police cell, accused of leading a cult group to murder a police officer, and staring at a lengthy prison term.

On October 27, 2018, Akingboju Akindele, a deputy superintendent of police and member of the Anti-Cultism Squad, was allegedly murdered by a cult group in Agbowa, a sleepy community on the outskirts of Lagos. According to the police, the group waylaid the police officers and killed Mr Akindele in the proc...